I Would Follow You Anywhere
by far away2011
Summary: Rukia is hopelessly, head-over-heels in love with Ichigo Kurosaki. So much so, that she would follow him through Hell, to the ends of the earth. IchigoXRukia.
1. Chapter 1

**The first of what will probably be a long line of Bleach stories from me! Hope you enjoy! I don't own anything here!**

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><p>"<em>What's taking him so long"<em> I thought for probably the tenth time since I'd been waiting outside. I looked at my watch. It was a bunny's face with a rectangle in the middle that read 9:30 in green digital letters.

I sighed and leaned back against the fence in Ichigo's yard. Class started at 9:00 and its at least a twenty minute walk to school. We were going to be _so _late.

I looked up towards the top of the house at the window to Ichigo's room that I had jumped out of. When I had left Ichigo, he was still sitting on his bed in his pajamas with a dazed, half asleep expression on his face. That was almost twenty minutes ago. He's probably fallen back to sleep by now.

"Gah! We're probably going to get detention for being this tardy!" It's not like I mind, though. If he needed me to, I'd wait millennia for him without hesitation.

I used to get angry at myself for thinking these thoughts. How could I fall in love with Ichigo? Our relationship was purely professional and should remain that way. It didn't take long, however, for my heart to overpower my mind. I can't deny it any longer. I am in love with Ichigo Kurosaki. To me, Ichigo is the sun. He is bright and intense and I can't help but be engulfed by warmth whenever I'm around him.

"Hey, you ready?" I heard an all too familiar voice behind me ask. I jumped a little, fearing that somehow he'd heard me thinking about him.

I turned around and looked up at his face. He had than same signature scowl that he always wore with his red hair spike ungracefully in every direction, but I felt like I'd never seen anything so beautiful in my life. I was wrong. Ichigo isn't the sun. He puts the sun to shame. He arched a wondering eyebrow at me. "What are you smiling so big about?"

I hadn't even realized I was smiling. I really couldn't help. I smile every time I look at Ichigo, even in my thoughts.

"I'm sorry!" I said with an overly perky tone. "I was just wondering if the teacher was going to assign us a week of detention for missing out first class or is she merely going to wring out necks instead!"

"Hey don't complain", he said started to walk to the sidewalk to begin our journey to school. "I told you to go ahead without me. You're the one stupid enough to wait!"

He was right. I probably could have made it to class and only have missed about half of it. I still probably would have gotten a scolding but at least I could have avoided detention.

"Well what if a hollow showed up on the way to school! You wouldn't be able to change into a soul reaper if I was in class!" I was grasping at straws. Being in love with Ichigo didn't mean I had to lose an argument to him.

"Whatever Rukia" he said as he closed his eyes and put his hands being his head in that nonchalant fashion he's so fond of. "Let's just hurry and get to school so you can shut up already".

I smiled at him again. Actually I couldn't tell if I'd smiled for a second time or if I was still smiling from before. He looked down at me with a puzzled expression and started to walk forward with a slightly faster pace than mine. I hurried to keep up with him. I don't think he was trying to outrun me. He was almost a foot taller than me with much longer legs so he couldn't help but run faster than me with minimal effort. He knew it, too, and on some days like today, he would break into a sprint just so he could see me struggle to keep up with him.

"Wait up, Ichigo!" I yelled as I took off after him. I worked my body's legs until it felt like they would fall off, but it barely made a difference in the amount of distance between us. That only made me work harder. I hated to be apart from him. I sometimes wondered if he knew that.

He looked back at me. "Hurry up! You're the one in such a hurry to get to school!" He was smiling at me. I nearly stumbled when I saw it. His smile was smile was enough to make me melt like ice cream on a hot sidewalk. He doesn't smile often, but when he did I could never remember what it was like to not be happy. I was actually a little glad that he didn't smile often. That way I could never take such a beautiful thing for granted.

I don't know if it was the fact that I was so entranced by the boy running in front of me or the fact that I failed to notice the pile of discarded trash directly in my path, or maybe even a combination of both. Either way I ended up tripping over someone's trash that was placed a little too far out onto the side walk and the next thing I knew, I was airborne and hardly had time to think before I collided face down with the ground.

At first, I didn't feel the pain and doubted that I was even hurt before a wave came over my body, mainly my legs which took the brunt of the fall. I pulled myself into the sitting position to inspect my injuries. The skirt I was wearing as part of my school uniform didn't cover my legs much. Because of this, the skin on my knee was frayed and bleeding; a minor injury.

"Rukia!" I heard Ichigo's voice call out to me. I looked up to see him rushing over to me with the same speed he was just using to outrun me. He stopped in front of me and braced himself on his knees to inspect the damage that had been done to my body. It was minimal, but he wore an expression that would lead to believe that my legs had both snapped off. "Ah man, Rukia. Are you okay?"

I just stared blankly at him. When I didn't respond, he turned his attention to my face, as if to make sure my head hadn't fallen off. "Can you hear me, Rukia?" I could hear him, alright. It was just the fact that he had actually showed some concern about my condition that caught me by surprise. He usually never worried about me like that.

I quickly blinked and snapped out of my stupor. "Yeah, there's no need to worry. It's just a scratch after all."

He placed his hand just above my injury on my thigh. I nearly jumped out of my skin at his touch. "This is my fault", he said bowing his head to my knee again. "I shouldn't have made you run like that."

The burn of his hand on my thigh had delayed my repose, but as quick I could, I started to my feet. "I told you, Ichigo. It's nothing." The injury to my knee caused me very minimal pain as I stood to my feet, but Ichigo stood ready to catch me if I stumbled as if I would collapse at any second.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo asked putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I could carry you the rest of the way to school if you want."

I could feel myself blush at the thought of Ichigo carrying me, but played it off as if it didn't faze me. "What do you think I am? Crippled? I told you I was fine, Ichigo!"

He stared at me for a few grueling seconds before looking turning away and looking ahead. "Fine", he said softly. "Let's get going then. I don't want to think about how much class we've missed."

He started to turn forward and I waited for him to take his hand of my shoulder. Imagine my surprise when, instead of leaving, Ichigo's hand slid across my back and came to rest on the side of the arm on the opposite side of my body. Ichigo pulled my close to him and it was then that I felt like I really was going to collapse.

I stared up at him with the same blank expression as from before. I had never in my wildest dreams imagined that Ichigo would ever be in this kind of situation, with Ichigo holding me as close as he was. He noticed me starting and looked at down at me with his smile. _That _smile. The one that could vanquish any worry that occupied my mind. Then turned his attention back to what was in front of us and started to walk forward, leading me as he went.

I was on autopilot. My feet were moving one in front of the other, but I wasn't consciously commanding them. Ichigo was much taller than me so my head only came halfway up his chest. The sound of his heartbeat echoed in my ears. I was hypnotized by it.

"_Its funny_", I thought. "_This is probably the closest I was ever going to be to having Ichigo's heart the same way he has mine_".

I looked backed up to his face and saw a very familiar look in his eye. I recognized it as my own. It was the same look I got when I was around him.

_Maybe I have more of his heart than I thought._

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><p><em><strong>Sorry this pretty much sucked! Please review!<strong>  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the wait! I initially intended for this to be a one shot but I thought of this whole big story so I've decided to make it my first chaptered story in years! Sorry this chapter is really short. I'm still brain storming for my next chapter.**

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><p>At lunch, I sat by myself against the gate on the roof. I wasn't really too hungry, so I sat solemnly sipping on one of those boxed drinks Ichigo had introduced me to. It was grape flavored, which I didn't really care too much for, but my racing thoughts took my mind off the bad flavor.<p>

I could take my mind off of what had happened earlier with Ichigo. I had just reached the point where I'd convinced myself it wasn't all a dream. He had not only made extended physical contact with me for the first time in the two months since I've been here, but he held me close to him.

_No _I decided. _That had to be some kind of daydream. That was simply too fantastical to actually happen._

I closed my eyes leaned my head against the gate. "Yep", I said out loud. "I must have hit my head when I took that fall. This is probably all a dream."

Usually, I'm always aware of Ichigo and what he's up to, even when he wasn't close to me. It was something I couldn't help. Ichigo had been eating lunch with Chad, Mizuiro, and Keigo across the roof, just like he had been doing since lunch began. If he had been doing anything otherwise, I definitely would have sensed it. I guess this day was special because I never saw him coming.

"Did you say you hit your head, Rukia?" I heard an all too familiar voice ask. I opened my eyes to see Ichigo, his face so close to mine, I could smell his breath. _Mint. _"Are you okay?"

I jumped to my feet so fast, you would have thought I'd used flash step. "What are you doing sneaking up on me like that!" I exclaimed, trying my best to sound believable and not like a flustered school girl.

"Chill out!" Ichigo said as he came to his feet in a much calmer manner. "I was just checking up on ya."

I crossed my arms and averted my eyes in a cool manner. "Well that won't be necessary since I'm fine."

Ichigo paused for a second and I shifted my eyes back in his direction. He was eyeing the lonely juice box sitting by my feet. He then shifted his attention back towards me. "I see you didn't eat anything for lunch. Are you sure you're alright?" He placed his hand on my head. Not the heavy hand on the top of my head that he usually gives me in that big brotherly way, but it was a gentle hand to the side of my face, his fingers intertwining slightly with my hair. His hand was so warm. It took every ounce of dignity I had not to nuzzle into his touch like some kind of cat.

I batted his hand away. "I said I'm fine! Soul reapers are a lot more durable than humans. It's going to take more than a little tumble to hurt me. Even in this gigai."

"Well excuse me", Ichigo said in a vexed tone. He turned his head to the distance beyond the gate and watched. From what I could tell, he was watching nothing in particular. I had my head turned away, yet my eyes were still focused on him. This way if he turned to face me again, I could quickly shift my eyes away and he wouldn't catch me staring. "Any word on hollows?"

"No", I answered sharply. His touch had made me jumpy. I sighed in an attempt to recompose myself and continued. "I haven't gotten any new orders today. We should be in the clear for now."

"Ah" He was still staring off into the distance. "Rukia"

I turned my head to face him fully. He had said my name in that voice; that velvet voice that could melt me like ice in Hell. "What is it Ichigo?"

"I-", he started. He paused for a second then scowled. He finally turned to look at me. "Nothing." He placed a heavy hand on the top of my head to my dismay. "I'll see you in class Rukia." He then turned and walked away while I stood watching.

I wanted to kick myself for how I was feeling. My cheeks were burning and they had been for the duration of my conversation. I was probably as red as a beet. I hated that Ichigo had the ability to do this to me without even being aware of it. I touched my face where his hand had just been. My skin still burned from his touch.

"Oh Ichigo", I said softly to myself.

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><p><strong>Again, sorry its so short. I should have the next chapter out in the next few days. I'm still working out all the rust from not writing in so long so sorry if this chapter isn't up to par. Please be sure to review!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

_**Wow! I finished this chapter faster than I thought! Be sure to review and I don't own anything!**_

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><p><em>I am no bird and no net ensnares me. I am a free human being with an independent will.<em>

I had read that same line in the book I was reading for probably the thousandth time. It was a book I had found in the school library from a faraway land called "England". It was a great book, but I couldn't get myself to focus on it. Every time I would begin to read a line, my thoughts would drift back to the boy on the other side of the door of the closet I called home. I mean, I thought about him all the time, but today was special. Thanks to his actions, I couldn't take my mind off him. I kept replaying today's events over and over again, savoring the moments more and more each time.

"Thanks a lot", I whispered aloud. Though my words were aimed at Ichigo, I was careful to speak softly enough to not be heard. "Now I'm not going to get any reading done."

"Hey, Rukia!" Ichigo's voice shocked me from my thoughts like a volt of electricity. I leaned forward and yanked open the closet door.

"What do ya want?" I asked angrily. "I was in the middle of a really good book."

Ichigo had his head turned back me as he casually leaned back in his desk chair. In front of him were a text book and papers spread across his desk. Probably the homework from school today. It was only simple algebra work, though, and it was about eight o'clock at night. I don't see how he could still be working on it in all the hours he had spent on it. "Its getting stuffy in here. Do you want to go for a walk or something?"

I tilted my head slightly in confusion. "Huh? Don't you think it's getting late?" I really didn't care about it being late. It was just that the thought of being out, alone at night with Ichigo was almost too much for me to bear.

Ichigo smiled that wonderful, soft smile. It was like falling into a cloud. "Come on. Do you really think anything bad is going to happen to us? I thought soul reapers were supposed to be fearless."

"But- umm…" I bit the inside of my mouth. I couldn't think of another good reason for us to not go out.

Ichigo reached got out of his chair and came forward. "Come on, Rukia. It'll be fine."

I was just about to make up some reason to refuse, when Ichigo caught me off guard for the third time that day; he reached over, took my hand, and gently pulled me out of the closet.

By that time I knew I was blushing again.

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><p>After sneaking out of Ichigo's room, we had made our way to the park. It was a gorgeous night. Being winter, the air outside was cool, but it went wonderful with the scenery. The stars, though not as bright and numerous as the ones in the Soul Society, were beautiful. The trees were beautiful, the grass was beautiful, even the bugs. Okay, maybe I'm a little biased. Everything along the path we walked just seemed to be a thousand times better with Ichigo at my side. It was like that perfect light he gave off was radiating onto everything around him. I couldn't help but smile.<p>

"What's got you so happy?" I heard Ichigo asked. I looked up at him. Even though it was dark outside, his face seemed to be glowing.

"Oh nothing", I chuckled. I turned my attention away from his face and back to our surroundings. "It's just that it's such a beautiful night."

I was no longer looking at Ichigo, but I could tell he was smiling by the warmth I felt coming from him. "Yeah. I guess it is." He stopped walking and sat on a nearby bench so I took a seat next to him. I looked up at him again. He was watching the same sky I had been watching, and just like I predicted, he was smiling. "Hey, Rukia."

I quickly shifted my eyes in a different direction, so I wouldn't know I'd been staring at him. "What is it, Ichigo?"

"I'm really sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have teased you and cause you hurt yourself like that."

I didn't respond immediately. It's not like I was seriously injured or even injured at all. I knew how protective Ichigo could be, but I was surprised something so insignificant bothered him so much. "For the thousandth time, Ichigo, I am fine", I said with a hint of hostility as I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. "You act like I had gotten attacked by a hollow or something."

Ichigo didn't respond like I had expected him to so I opened my eyes to look back at him. To my absolute horror he was looking directly at me. I nearly jumped out of my seat. I probably would have, too, if he hadn't placed his hand on my arm.

"You have goose bumps", he observed as he quickly ran his hand up and down my arm in an attempt to warm it. "Are you cold?" I did have goose bumps, but probably not for the reasons he suspected.

He took my other arm and rubbing it in an attempt to warm it. I didn't move. Ichigo had such a warm touch, but it sure did have a tendency to freeze me in my tracks. "Is that better?" he asked with a kind smile.

The only response I could muster was a nod of my head. It did feel better. His touch seemed to simultaneously erase the chills from my body and send chills down my spine. I finally managed to let my eyes meet his. The smile on his face seemed to be fading. I didn't know what was wrong. _Did I do something? _I thought to myself. But then I realized that Ichigo's face was slowly moving towards mine. It was so slow that I didn't even notice it until I felt his hands moving from my arms, up from my shoulders.

_Is he falling unconscious? Is he looking at something on my face? _A million thoughts raced through my mind, each offering a different explanation for Ichigo's journey towards my face. None of this could have prepared me for what was to happen.

His lips meeting mine.

It didn't believe what was happening. I _couldn't _believe what was happening. Ichigo's perfect (yet slightly chapped) lips were pressed against mine.

I could feel his hands slide down my shoulders, to my back where he used them to pull me closer to him. I could feel him lean more into our kiss. _Our kiss. _This couldn't really be happening!

I felt his tongue sliding against my closed mouth, begging for entrance. How was I supposed to react? The part of me that wanted to pretend I wasn't in love with Ichigo wanted to push him away and ask him what the hell he was doing. But the part of me that loved him from every crevice of my soul wanted to wrap my arms and him and pull him closer to me. To part my lips and deepen our kiss. To become one with Ichigo.

The conflict of interests caused me to remain still, my hands at my side, my mouth closed, my eyes opened.

After a few seconds, Ichigo opened his eyes and they met mine. I don't know what he saw in my eyes but whatever it was, was enough to cause the expression on his face to change from one that I couldn't for the life of me read, to one of distress. He quickly pulled away from me and turned his body to face forward. He pinned his eyes to his hands that lay welded together in his lap with the most pained expression in his eyes. I had never seen him like that before.

I wanted to reach out to him and offer him some comfort. When Ichigo is upset, I am upset. His pain is my pain. However my arms, my whole body in fact, was paralyzed.

"Rukia-" He started in an exasperated tone. "I-. I-" He tried a few more times to force out whatever it was he was going to say before he jumped to his feet, and before I could even say a peep, he was gone. He didn't run away, or even swiftly walk. Instead, he walked away slowly in a defeated fashion with his hands in his pockets and his head downturned. If I wanted to, I could have very well went after him and caught up with him, but I was filled with some many emotions, most of which I couldn't begin to identify. You could have knocked me out with a feather. I couldn't believe what had happened.

Something that I had only imagined in my deepest of daydreams had just happened to me. _Ichigo kissed me._ Why did he do that and just get up and leave me here wanting? I was shocked, and I was hurt. I was hurt that Ichigo could go and put me through something like this. How could he lead me on with a kiss and get up and walk away like that. He must have caught on to my feelings for him and decided to pick on me for the hell of it. That had to be it. He's just teasing me again, just like this morning. He led me on and watched me fall. How could he do this to me? _I loved him_. I loved him more than I've loved anything else in the world. Didn't that matter to him?

I guess if you give a little boy your heart, you can't upset if he breaks it.

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><p><strong><em>1000 points to anyone who guesses what book Rukia was reading. Again please review even if you already have! Feedback is my driving force!<em>**


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it took me so long with this chapter! I've been really busy with college stuff. Enjoy!

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><p>The sudden appearance of light on the other side of my eyelids drew me from my sleep. The sun was just rising. I sat up drowsily and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. To my dismay, this hardly served to provide any energy. After all, it's not like sleeping on a park bench is going to result in the soundest sleep ever.<p>

For a moment, I'd actually forgotten what I was doing sleeping in the park and how I had gotten there in the first place. It didn't take long for the memories from the previous night to come crashing back like a tsunami, and before I knew it, I was again filled to the brim with anger.

_How dare he. How could he? Him of all people? Do this to me?_ I bought my fingers up to my lips. The still burned from last night. A huge part of me that I was trying desperately to suppress was actually sort of happy, thrilled even, about what had occurred. This is what I've been dreaming of for months, and it finally happened.

No. I couldn't be happy. This was not my dream. Being used was not my dream. Being hurt was not my dream.

I could feel tears brimming in my eyes. There was no use in even trying to stop them so I didn't even try to devote any energy towards stopping it. Instead I focused every bit of strength I had on feed the hate monster taking roost inside my heart.

It felt like my insides were on fire. Love Ichigo? Hell, I HATED Ichigo. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted to torment him the same way he was tormenting me. I wanted to remove his existence from my inner world. I wanted to remove his existence from the entire world.

I felt a tear drop splash on my clenched fist and for a moment, I swore it would evaporate on contact. I was seething. On impulse, I clenched both my fists so hard, I thought they would start to bleed, and I punch the back of the park bench I was sitting at.

They say that when you have an intense inner pain, you should cause yourself an outer pain in order to distract your mind. That was horse shit. Now I was pissed AND in pain.

"Crap!" I screamed out loud as I waved my throbbing right fist in the air and clenched my tear filled eyes shut. _What did you do that for, Rukia?_

"What'd ya do that for?" I heard my thoughts being echoed, before someone grabbed my waving wrist. I opened my eyes, and didn't believe them.

"Let me see your hand" the red head monster towering above me commanded ask he examined my hand. "Jeez, you'll be lucky if you didn't get a splinter."

If he wasn't firmly grasping my wrist, I would simply just believe the boy standing before me was some kind of rage induced hallucination and would have just ignored him. But no. There he was standing above me. Pretending to be concerned. Like nothing happened. How did he even get this close to me without me noticing? Even my extremely low spiritual pressure, I still had pretty good instincts. They must have been clouded by my anger, letting Ichigo get the better of me once again.

I whipped my hand out of his so fast, I thought it would break, and I scowled. No it was beyond a scowl. It was a snarl. I was snarling like some mad beast. There was so much I wanted to say to him. There were a thousand words all gnawing on my brain. If I hadn't lost my soul reaper powers, I couldn't guarantee that Ichigo would even be alive today.

His expression changed from the usual scowl, to a more solemn look, and he averted his eyes.

"Look, Rukia", he started. "I-." He paused. It sounded just like how he had started that train wreck from the night before. It only made me want to hurt him more. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. I was too busy focusing my eyes on his face, willing it to burst into flames to pay attention to what is was. "Here." He shoved what he was holding into my line of sight. It was a bunny shaped lollipop, blueberry flavored. It was my favorite. I don't know what made me angrier: the cheery expression on the rabbit, or the fact that he had tried to bribe me into somehow accepting what he had did to me.

He started to nervously scratch the back of his head. "Rukia, I-. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… done something like that. It's just that I didn't know how to-"

I slapped the candy out of his hands and jumped to my feet. I had finally found my words.

"Do you think candy can make up for what you did?" I screamed with no concern for the joggers and other patrons occupying the park. "Like I'm a, a child or something?" Do you think that I'll just roll over and forget about it?"

Ichigo stuck his hands in his pockets and averted his eyes. He looked so pathetic. It made me sick. "I'm sorry", he mumbled softly. He wasn't even trying to defend himself. Why was he making this so easy?

"You're not sorry! You can't be! Do you know how you made me feel?" There was no point in holding back now. It was not like I was ever going to see him again. "Don't you know that I love you more than anything else in the world, and that I would do anything for, and I would give you my life if you wanted, and then you just go and treat my heart like its dirt and trample over it, and you hurt me really, really bad." I didn't care about what I was telling him. I didn't care that I was crying. I didn't care that I was rambling. I didn't have a care in the world anymore and it hurt so much.

Ichigo was no longer looking at the ground, but instead had turned his attention back to me. I could barely see him through the tears.

"Rukia", he said softly. Before I knew it he was taking me into his arms. I let him. Even though, in my anger, I wanted to take that opportunity to stab him through the heart, I let him hold me in his arms and, with my face pressed into his nice school shirt, I sobbed. I let the sound of his heartbeat soothe me just as it had done the day before.

I could feel him chuckle. "You mean to tell me you love me, too, Rukia?"

_Too? _I pulled away and looked up at him through puffy eyes. He move some of my sweat drenched hair out of my face. He was smiling.

"Y-you don't love me", I said with a quivering voice. He pulled me back to him and pressed his lips to the top of my head.

"I don't know if I love you more than you claim to love me", he said softly into my hair. "But I'll try if you let me."

I stood still in disbelief. I even my tears froze in shock. I took a second for what had come out of Ichigo's mouth to fully sink in, but when it did, I smiled and let myself be enveloped by the man holding me. "I guess I could give you a shot", I said as I buried my face deeper into his chest.

After what seemed like an eternity in his arms, Ichigo bought his head down to my ear and whispered, "You know I got you another sucker."

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><p>I know that was sort of shitty, but it gets better. THIS IS NOT THE END! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! I promise to update sooner if you do!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

So, I can't believe I finished a new chapter in such a short amount of time. This chapter, like a lot of other ones in this story will be, is a little oneshot-esque. Its not so much about story advancement, as it is about showing the little moments of their relationship and how it evolves. Enjoy!

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><p>I could hear Ichigo fighting with his father as I hid in the closet. He was teasing him, and I found watching them fight to be extremely entertaining, but I couldn't seem to get my brain to focus on anything but my daydreams. Well it hadn't just been that day, but every day since that day a month ago when Ichigo and I… got together.<p>

I didn't know what to think of it. I mean I was thrilled, of course. I'd never been happier. But it was something so foreign to me. I'd never been with a boy before. I mean, I'd been around boys. I was best friends with them growing up in the Rukon District. But I'd never been involved with one like I am with Ichigo. In fact, I wasn't the least bit interested in them. I always tried to devote my efforts towards more productive things like my studies at the Soul Academy.

I had no clue how to interact with men. It all seemed to come naturally to Ichigo, though. He was always touching me. He would hold my hands and play with my fingers, fitting his through mine like a glove. He would bring those same hands to my face and softly stroke my face with their tips. He would kiss me. He loved to kiss me. On my cheek, my nose my lips, my neck.

It was the kind of thing that I would only imagine in my wildest dreams. If I was to envision Ichigo doing the things with me that he does now, I would envisage myself melting between his fingertips at his touch, and falling in his kisses. But I sat paralyzed and frozen at his touch.

I heard Ichigo's room door close, and I was filled with equal parts excitement and dread. I loved being able to lay in Ichigo's bed with him and enjoy his warmth as his arms enveloped me as he smothered me with soft kisses, but I hated how clueless I felt while it was happening.

I knew, however, that he would get suspicious if I just stayed in the closet, so I slid the closet door open.

He was sitting on his bed, rubbing an arm the his dad probably had bent behind his back. His hair was a little more ruffled than usual, indicating that he had probably been in a headlock.

I made my way across the room to him and started to smooth his hair down. It was pretty much the only affectionate thing I could think to do.

Ichigo laughed and looked up at me. "You really think you can tame this, Rukia?" He reached up to my hands and took them in his in that way he does. That way that makes it seem like my hands were meant for his. I could feel the apprehension washing over me like a cold shower. I knew he was going to try to kiss me or hold me and I just wanted to get away from him, but my love for Ichigo stopped me.

He bought my hand up to his lips and I twitched in an attempt to jerk away from him. I immediately felt ashamed. I mean, it was a completely involuntary reflex… sort of. I immediately saw the damage I had caused, however, when I watched the smile drain from Ichigo's face. That was probably my least favorite sight to see, and on the inside I was beating myself up.

He let my hands drop, but still held onto them loosely, as he studied me. His gaze didn't serve to make me feel anymore comfortable. "I've been sensing how tense you've been for a while now, Rukia. Ever since we've started dating. Am I making you uncomfortable? You can tell me."

"No!" I started defensively. "It's not that! It's just that…" I paused. _Should I really lie to him about this?_ I paused for a second and looked away before continuing. "Well it's just that I've never been in a relationship before, and even though I love you so much, Ichigo, this stuff like this- this touching" I pulled my hands from his. "It just feels so… strange to me." I started fidgeting with my hands as I examined the intricate . "I'm sorry."

I kept my head lowered and let the screaming silence fill my ears for what seemed like hours.

"You know" Ichigo said, finally speaking up. "My favorite part of you is your hands." He took my hands back into his and held them as if he was examining them. I looked back up at him. "They're calloused from fighting, but smooth." He laced his fingers through mine. "And your fingers are so little and skinny. It makes me feel like Chad whenever I hold them." He looked up at my face, he was smiling that charming smile at me, and speaking in the smooth, relaxed voice. "And my second favorite part of you would have to be your mouth. Whether you're smiling that beautiful smile of yours, or pouting, or laughing, they always remain so cute" He leaned up and bought his face so close to mine, I could feel his breath. "And kissable." He kissed me. This time it was different from the other ones. It felt natural and comfortable and right. When he pulled away, I was smiling.

"Well my favorite part of you" I started, "would probably be your hair." I took my hands from his and ran my fingers through his spiky, orange hair. "I've never seen anything like its color. And its so soft and… fluffy."

We both laughed. "Fluffy?" Ichigo chuckled. "That's a first."

I bought my hands down to his face. "And my second favorite part would have to be…" I traced his stubbled cheeks and his lips with my fingers. I never noticed how nice he felt until now. I bought my finger up to his eyebrows. "That angry face you're always making."

"What?" he laughed as he grabbed my hips and threw himself backwards onto the bed, dragging me down with him.

I giggled when I hit the bed and he rolled over, so half of him lay on top of me, pinning me to the bed. "Did I mention that I love these cheeks, too?" He put his hand on my chin, and, despite the fight I put up, squeezed my cheeks together, making my lips pucker out. He leaned down and kissed them longer and more passionate than last time. I eagerly accepted it, wrapping my arms around his neck.

When he finished, he pulled his lips away from mine and rested his forehead against mine. "You know, Rukia. You were acting so weird about me touching you, that I was starting to think that you didn't like me."

I smiled and put a hand of Ichigo's face. He leaned into my touch. "Oh, Ichigo", I started in a mock sweet voice. "If I didn't like you, you'd be the first to know."

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><p>Remember to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Even if you already have. I really want feedback about this story, since I'm a little unsure about it sometimes.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry for the hiatus, but college is EXTREMELY time consuming. Cheers to a new year and new updates!_

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><p>"And, students, that will be the end of our lesson until after lunch", the teacher announced after finishing a final equation on the blackboard. "Enjoy your break."<p>

As I bent down over the side of the desk to lift my bag from the floor, I watched Ichigo walk past me through my peripheral vision. We both agreed that we didn't want his friends from school to know about our relationship right away, so we didn't spend a lot of time with each other outside of walking to school together. So most days, Ichigo ate with Chad, Mizuiro, and Keigo, and I ate by myself. Ichigo said he felt bad about me spending so much time alone, but I enjoyed the peace I got mid-school day. It gave me time to gather my thoughts. I was able to think up new hollow fighting strategies, how to compose my final report back to the Soul Society, and how to go about this whole "relationship" thing that Ichigo and I were involved in.

As I packed my notebook into my bag, I felt someone stop and my desk. "Hey, Rukia!" A the figure greeted with a rather jolly voice. I looked up to see a cheerful, redheaded girl standing above me.

"Orihime?" I asked slightly confused. "What is it?"

"Well, it's nothing", she replied, nervously laughing and scratching her face. "Its just that I see you eat lunch alone every day, so I was wondering if you would like to join me for lunch with Tatsuki, Chizuru, and the others?"

I sat bewildered at first. I had spoken with Orihime and the others a few times, and I did help Ichigo save her life when her hollowfied brother attacked, but I had always thought of them of being Ichigo's friends more than mine. "Um, sure." I returned her merry smile to give a little more enthusiasm. "That sounds great."

As I sipped on the straw my favorite juice box, I couldn't help but admire the beauty this world had to offer. There were no clouds that day, so the sky was able to display the full of its deep blue, a blue that nothing in this world or the next was able to replicate, for all to behold. And though there were no clouds, the Sun, shining in all of its glory was still mercifully mild. It did not burn or blind, but merely bathed us. Even the air was especially pleasant that day; so fresh and warm, it was as if I was drinking sustenance from the earth itself.

"Rukia?"

I was snapped out of my trance once again by Orihime. I came to my senses, to find the five girls I had joined for lunch staring at me with their various lunch objects in hand, chewing and drinking alike. The excess attention caught me off guard and I could feel the beginnings of a blush coming on.

"What is it, Orihime?" I asked, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you'd like to try some of my homemade banana-zucchini-jalapeño bread", Orihime answered, pulling a small loaf of green tinged bread out of her lunchbox. Each of our lunch-mates made faces and I tried to hide a grimace of my own.

"No, thank you", I replied, as politely as I could. "I'm already full." I averted my eyes and hoped no one would catch on to the fact that, save the juice, I hadn't touched any of my food yet.

"Geez, Orihime, you don't want to kill the girl, do ya?" Tatsuki teased as she took another bite of her rice ball. "It takes a special person to handle the stuff you cook."

Orihime tilted her head slightly as she started to remove part of the bread from its plastic wrap. "But Rukia is a special person", she replied innocently.

"What she means is", Chizuru chimed in enthusiastically. "Food prepared by my goddess, Orihime, is too much for these mortal tongues! Only the palates greatest of deities are fit for Orihime's mana from the heavens!" Chizuru made a grab at Orihime before being swatted down by an annoyed Tatsuki, and the other girls giggled.

I offered a wry chuckle of my own before turning my attention away from their antics once more, and letting it shift to the orange haired boy in the corner of my eye. I could feel his eyes on me ever since I had joined the girls for lunch. I didn't really know any of these people well so, my joining them had most likely peaked his interests. He also knew I sometimes felt insecure about human world customs so there was also some worry mixed in as well. In then there was probably the fear that I would blow the lid on our "big, secret relationship" that no one in the school was supposed to know about. Actually the latter was probably the most likely reason he was paying so much attention. He said it was to save us from being the subject of school wide gossip, but I didn't really care much. I didn't really mind how I appeared in the eyes of common humans.

I peeked over at his lunch group. He and his friends were all sitting in a circle with Keigo telling some loud story with exaggerated hand movements, yet Ichigo gave him, nor the sandwich his was biting into any attention. His nervous eyes were glued to me and his worrying was almost palpable. I smirked a little at the sight.

"Hey!"

Again, I was jerked back to attention, this time by Tatsuki. "Huh?" I uttered trying to insert myself back into the group dynamic. "What happened?"

"Nothing", Tatsuki replied. "We were just asking you about the homework. Hey, are you usually this spacy, Rukia?"

I gave another nervous laugh before bringing the juice box back to my lips.

"I think she's too busy staring at her boyfriend", a girl named Mahana suggested.

The statement caused me to immediately choke on my drink. _How does she know?!_ Although my immediate reaction probably gave me away, I made an effort to play dumb.

"Boyfriend?" I asked with poorly acted, contrived confusion. "What are you talking about? I don't have a boyfriend."

"Yes, you do!" another girl named Michiru said. "That scary guy, Ichigo, right? Everyone's been talking about it."

"Yeah", Tatsuki joined in. "How did that happen? Ichigo's never had a girlfriend, but he all of a sudden manages to get with you within a few weeks of you transferring here. What's up with that?"

"Does he bring you flowers and cook you dinner?" Orihime asked? "I bet he's really romantic!"

"Have you met his parents yet?" Mahana asked. "I've heard his dad is a nut!"

"I-I-", I stammered. _Dammit, Ichigo_. _How was I supposed to keep denying our relationship when confronted with stuff like this?_

"So", Chizuru started with a devilish grin. "Does the carpet match the drapes?" Every girl was silent as they waited for an answer.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. _What a weird question. _"Um… Ichigo doesn't have any carpet", I replied simply.

Gasps resounded throughout the lunch group as every girl turned to Ichigo's group in a screaming fit of giggles. I, in a state of shock, embarrassment, and confusion hesitantly turned to face Ichigo, as well. When I saw his face, a feeling of sympathy joined every other emotion I was feeling.

His mouth hung agape and his eyes were wide with a classic dear-in-the-headlights look. I was sure Ichigo was probably just as clueless as I was as to why this group of girls was laughing and this only made it worse for him.

I knew I was in for it when we got home. Ha! My poor Ichigo!

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><p>Thank you for reading and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**_Sorry for the year+ long delay! After rereading my chapters, I've decided to start posting for this story again! Please review if you enjoy!_**

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><p>I could hear the thumping of feet against the wooden floor throughout the house as I lay on top of the sheets on Ichigo's bed. It was near dinner time, so there was a lot of movement going on from his father and sisters. I used spend most of my time in Ichigo's closet, out of fear that a curious sister would coming snooping into her older brother's room while he was gone and uncover one of his biggest secrets lying right on the bed. However, to my surprise and fortune, Ichigo's family seems to be surprisingly respectful of his privacy. This gave me the freedom to do whatever I wanted in the bedroom while he was gone.<p>

Ichigo didn't really like the idea of me being locked in his room while he was out, but I enjoyed the alone time. Besides, he was with Chad playing basketball, a strange human game that I wasn't very well accustomed to.

"It's simple", he said to me the first time I had gone with him, while we stood on the court waiting on Chad to arrive. "You just throw the ball in the hoop like this". He then effortlessly threw the orange ball he had brought with us towards a metal loop suspended high off the ground on a pole. The ball slid through the narrow loop without even touching the rim and smacked the ground sharply. Ichigo caught it mid bounce and tossed the ball towards me. Even though his aim was fine, the ball still managed to slip through my fingers and bounced wildly at my feet. I had to kneel down and hold the ball down with both hands in order to bring it under control.

I looked up at him and scowled while he smirked at me. "Give it a try, Rukia", he said with an amused tone.

I stood up with the ball and tried to replicate the way I had saw Ichigo hold it earlier, but I found holding a ball bigger than my head a little awkward. Once I had a grasp, I turned my attention to the loop bearing pole in front of us. It was probably only about 10 feet away from us, but it seemed like a mile to me. I readied myself thrust the ball into the air. I focused my attention on the loop instead of the ball, waiting for contact to be made, only to be startled when ball hit the ground with the ground only about 5 feet in front of me.

I expected to hear Ichigo's chuckle from beside me, but he didn't say a word as he went after the runaway ball. "How did that happen?" I asked him. "I could have sworn I threw it hard enough".

"You'll get better", Ichigo calmly before bouncing the ball back towards me. "Just give it a bit more power, and try again." Ichigo crossed his arms and observed as I grasp the ball a little hard, focused even more on the goal in front of me, and thrust the ball with even more force in front of me. This time, the ball did go a whole ten feet in front of me, just another ten feet the left of the goal this time.

Ichigo had me practice for the 15 minutes it took Chad to arrive. By that time, I had actually gotten the ball to bounce of the rim of the loop 3 out of 5 times. When Chad was ready, I took a break on a bench beside the court to watch them play. I watched as they swiftly dodged past each other, aggressively slap the ball out of each other's hands, and used their bodies as walls to prevent each other from reaching the goals. They were able to get the ball in the hoop each and every time that they tried, even if it meant leaping what seemed like my entire body height to do so. I knew that there was no way even 5 of me would be able to keep up with the two of them in a game.

Since then I'd decided to either stroll the park by myself and enjoy the beautiful scenery and giddy children, while Ichigo played his game or just stay home and enjoy the time to myself. Most of the time, I would read, do some puzzling school work, or draw whatever cute animals came to mind. Today, however, I was content with lying atop the bed and letting whatever object my eyes were focused on slowly drift out of focus as much as I could before blinking and bringing the object back into clear view. It was a strange game, but it gave me a strange sense of pleasure and helped the time go by a little faster.'

From down the stairs, I heard the front door slam shut and a young voice shout "Ichi-nii, you're late for dinner again!" followed by a familiar mumble.

As I began to hear the thump of heavy footsteps on the stairs, I started to wonder if I should at least change from the lying position in preparation for Ichigo's arrival. I had decided to maintain my position as I heard the door swing open. My eyes shifted to the side and I watched Ichigo place a large plate of food on his desk. He then peeled off his sweat soaked shirt to reveal his lean, shiny torso and collapsed onto the bed right beside me. Ichigo's bed is rather small, so I had no choice but to scoot closer to the wall the accommodate him. Even, much of his body was pressed against mine. As soon as his body fell onto the bed, I was overcome by the smell of his body. Even though he was covered in sweat, it wasn't an unpleasant smell. Though it wasn't sweet, it was rather pleasant in a way that I wasn't able to identify.

Ichigo had his hands stretched out above his head over the edge of the bed. One of them stretched across his face, obscuring it so that I could only see the orange hair plastered to his forehead and his brown eyes lazily watching me.

The pleasant feeling that was overcoming my body enhanced the attraction I had for the boy lying next to me immensely. I moved even closer to him and moved my hands onto his body. His skin was hot and damp under my anxious finger tips. I felt the need to touch every inch of his body.

I'm sure it wasn't the fact that he was half undressed that had me so anxious. I had seen him without a shirt plenty of times after the shower that he usually took after his basketball game. This time was different. This was a feeling that I had never had before.

"Rukia", I heard Ichigo breathe. I finally took my attention off of his body and focused on his face. He was propped himself up and a studying me carefully. I'm sure he was trying to communicate something to me through the expression he was wearing as his eyes bore into mine, but I was too distracted to tell. My breathing had taken on a shallower pace.

"I brought you dinner", he said huskily, making no motion towards the food growing cold on his desk. He didn't even blink. I wanted to reply in a seductive manner, how it wasn't the food that I was hungry for, but I was in too primal of a state. Instead I just went straight towards his mouth and started kissing him so aggressively, we didn't even take the time to breathe.

Ichigo shifted his body so that it was on top of mine. His lips were hot, his tongue was hot, his body was hot, and I could feel the heat radiating through my body. It was like a chemical reaction, changing my entire composition of my body into something else. I was changing into something I had never been before. I needed more of his body. I had a craving to touch him more than I had ever before. Before I knew it, I was out of my own shirt. However, the feeling of his bare skin against mine did little to satiate me. If anything, it increased my hunger tenfold. I needed to be out of my clothes and I needed him to be out of his. I normally don't lose control of my behavior around Ichigo or anyone else for that manner. I would have been concerned with what he thought of me and how I was acting, but somehow, I felt that he not only understood my urges, but were being overcome by the same ones.

He did, however, manage to pause the progression of our actions. "Are you sure about this?" he asked from on top of me. He was piercing right into my eyes, in a way that normally would have put me off, but I wasn't myself. I may have verbally said "yes". I may have merely mumbled or moaned, but either way we continued with our venture.

I'm not sure how to describe what happened next in a way that doesn't make it sound dirty or vulgar or something else that it wasn't. Never before had I experienced the entire range of physical and emotional states in one act. Excitement, apprehension, pain, warmth, ecstasy, fullness, all right after the other. Not only were we closer than we had ever been, but we were one. I was fully exposed and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever done.

When we had finished, we lay next to each other in the same way we had begun. Ichigo's arm laying across most of his face combined with the dim glow of the moon through the window being the only source of light made Ichigo's expression especially hard to read. He just watched me and I watched him.

"Rukia-", I heard him stutter before silence filled the room once again. I could tell that he didn't know what to say. Neither did I. What would have sufficed? _Thank you? That was great? _Maybe just rolling over and going to sleep?

He reached out and held the side of my face. His arm was no longer obscuring his face, yet his expression was blank. The sides of his mouth then curled into a slight smile. "I love you", he said softly.

My hand moved to my face to meet his hand. "I love you, too", I replied smiling even more broadly.


End file.
